Groundsman peaked too early in search for perfect pitch

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MICK HUNT, MCC’s head groundsman, declared that his Lord’s pitch would have been ideal had the match started on Wednesday. That might have occurred in the Golden Age, but unfortunately for him, Tests in the modern era begin on Thursdays.

The occasional uneven bounce is not characteristic of the initial stages of a fixture at Lord’s. The pitches used for the two Tests this summer — against Bangladesh in May and Australia now — are known as No 9 and No 10 and were last relaid in 1996. There are older ones than these on the square but would not